


center of orbit

by _helios (neocitz)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Bodyguard Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, M/M, Prince Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-08 09:16:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19104172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neocitz/pseuds/_helios
Summary: 'I know that,' Jaehyun says.He doesn't look like he accepts it though, not in the way his Sulk gets upgraded to what Doyoung privately calls a Royal Sulk.





	center of orbit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lovelyday86](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelyday86/gifts).



> happy birthday to allison, my wonderful girlfriend. i'm sorry this is almost an hour late but hopefully you enjoy this!
> 
> (massive shout out to nini for supporting me through this)

Doyoung could see that Jaehyun was going to lose by the second-to-last chukka.

He may have never played polo, but he’s watched it enough to know. He could see it in the way Sicheng and Ten execute a perfectly timed pass, in the way Yukhei blocks Jaehyun and shields his team members, in the way Kun hits with such accuracy that he never seems to miss the goal. It's not that Jaehyun and his team are any bad at polo. It’s just that Sicheng is better.

It's the last chukka and Jaehyun is woefully behind in points.

If they were up against the other amateur teams, the other lords and heirs that they'd grown up around, they might have had a chance. But Prince Sicheng and his team are among the best, compete in international competitions when they can, and Jaehyun never really stood a chance.

That, of course, never stops Jaehyun from thinking that he could beat them.

'He's going to be a brat in the car, isn't he?' Yuta whispers, from where he stands next to Doyoung on the edge of the field. He's holding the black umbrella that shields the pair of them from the rain, looking out at the game with the picture-perfect smile that makes him about as popular as Jaehyun in the tabloids.

'He is,' Doyoung says through an exhale.

' _Shotgun_.'

Doyoung really, really hates Yuta sometimes.

Unlike Yuta, however, he's not contractually obliged to be a nice person in public and he doesn't bother holding back the glare as he turns to the younger man next to him.

'I was going to volunteer to hold the umbrella, but I guess I'll just make you do it.'

It earns him a laugh, so loud that a couple of spectators turn away from the tight pants and neat polo shirts to look at the two men in suits on the edge of the field. It's only for a moment, before a smattering of applause echoes around them thanks to Kun scoring yet another point for his team.

'I'll take it over having to sit in the backseat on the way back.'

Doyoung would take it over having to sit in the backseat as well. He could, of course, convince Johnny that he wanted to drive them back to the residence. But considering that in order to do that he needs to call Taeyong and get approval for a change, he doesn't know if it's going to be worth it.

The final bell rings before Doyoung can hiss out a comeback, and the two men watch as the horses slow to a trot and then a walk. Jaehyun's quick to dismount, holding out his hand to shake that of Sicheng's and Doyoung is very suddenly exposed to the rain as Yuta rushes off with his umbrella.

'Could have given me some warning,' he mutters, as he jogs after Yuta. His complaints are useless, however, and forgotten under the calls of _good game_ and _should try this again sometimes_ as the two teams congratulate each other.

Jaehyun is still talking to Sicheng, arm around his shoulder with a friendly smile that the photographers and reporters are eating up by the side of the field. Doyoung is sure that by the time they get in the car, Jaehyun will be trending on twitter (again).

'Thank you so much for this,' Sicheng is saying when Doyoung finally steps into place behind Jaehyun. 'It's nice to be able to play for fun, with a friend.'

'It's been a long time since we last did this, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.' Jaehyun's voice is the smooth, kind voice that both Sicheng and Doyoung know comes from years of media training. Undoubtedly because they're mic'd up for some sort of YouTube special that Taeil is trying out. _Connecting to the younger generation_ , he calls it.

Both of them also know that as soon as they're in the car, Jaehyun is probably going to text Sicheng with decidedly less media-friendly words.

'Your Highnesses,' Yuta says, 'we should probably head to the stands so that you can do the final interviews under some shelter.'

'Of course.'

Jaehyun gestures to Sicheng, letting the younger prince duck forward under the umbrella of his own assistant, and they carefully make their way back to the crowd. A quick check behind him shows that Mark has taken Jaehyun's horse, guiding it back to the trailers hidden out of sight.

'We have about half an hour for you to talk to the press, and then we need to start moving to get back to the palace,' Yuta instructs, half a step behind Jaehyun.

Jaehyun nods once, ducking under the small shelter put up over small ground of reporters with his signature smile on his face. Doyoung hangs back, standing on the edge of the carpet as he surveys the people crowding forward, the eager smiles on their faces, the cameras clicking away. He watches as Jaehyun charms one person after another, as he and Sicheng banter back and forth with just enough light-heartedness to remind everyone that their two countries are bound in friendship.

To the crowd, Jaehyun looks friendly and open. But Doyoung has known Jaehyun for thirteen years, he can see the tightness in the corners of his eyes, the determined set of his lips and the way his hands clench and unclench for a few moments when Sicheng is talking.

Yuta stands next to him, tipping his own chin back and smile spread across his face. 'He's going to be _a fucking nightmare,_ ' he grits out.

Doyoung can't help but agree.

 

As soon as Johnny closes the car door, Jaehyun slumps down in his seat and Doyoung knows that he's in what can only be described as a Sulk.

'I can't believe we lost,' Jaehyun says, as Johnny climbs into the front seat and starts up the car. 'I was so sure that we were going to win it this time.'

'It was a bullshit call from the ref during the third chukka,' Doyoung says, patting Jaehyun's thigh in an attempt to placate the prince.

It wasn't, but Doyoung knows better than to contest that when Jaehyun is so up in arms about having lost to one of his oldest friends.

'Do you think I can ask for a rematch?' Jaehyun asks, leaning forward to speak into Johnny's ear despite the number of times Doyoung has very pointedly insisted that he sits in his seat with a seatbelt on. 'I think that if we had even just one more week to train, we would be able to beat them. Did you _see_ Ten today? He's obviously out of practice, I haven't seen him play that badly since we were teenagers.'

'Jaehyun,' Doyoung says, resisting the very strong urge to rub his temples and get rid of the headache that's already building after three minutes in the car. Instead he grabs Jaehyun’s collar and yanks him back into place. 'It was an exhibition game to show that you've got a good, friendly relationship with Prince Sicheng. Most of the people were there because they donated money to buy the tickets. You are not allowed to ask for a rematch.'

'I'm just saying,' Jaehyun says, leaning back into his seat. 'If Jaemin had been here when we were training for this, he probably would have been more on top of the defence and we could have won.'

Jaemin, as Jaehyun well knows, has spent the last five months working for Doctors Without Borders.

'Are you saying that he should have been with us, instead of ensuring that children are properly inoculated against diseases?' Doyoung asks, with just enough of an edge in his voice that Jaehyun flinches slightly. 'I know that you're upset that you didn't win, but you don't have to all the time.'

He feels like he's scolding a child, not a full-grown adult who will be taking charge of a country in the next five or six years.

'I know that,' Jaehyun says.

He doesn't look like he accepts it though, not in the way his Sulk gets upgraded to what Doyoung privately calls a Royal Sulk. Doyoung glances at the two men in the front seat, Johnny pointedly looking at the road and Yuta scrolling through his phone. He knows that the two of them don't want to deal with Jaehyun when he's like this, _he_ doesn't want to deal with Jaehyun when he's like this.

But Yuta called shotgun and Doyoung is stuck in the backseat with Jaehyun and his incredible competitiveness.

'You need to stop acting like this,' Doyoung says, and he knows that he's probably said the wrong thing when Jaehyun turns to look at him. 'You don't even really _like_ polo and yet you're acting like a child because you lost against a _world champion_ at the sport.'

'It was an important game,' Jaehyun protests.

'Because of what it represents, not because of the final score. You got to play with Mark, Jaemin and Jungwoo for the first time in _years_ , you haven't had a chance to since you graduated university. You raised thousands of dollars for three different charities today, and you showed the world that there is no bad blood between yourself and our biggest ally. That should be more important than the fact that you lost.'

It feels like the temperature of the car has dropped. Yuta doesn't even bother pretending that he has emails on his phone to read, looking straight ahead at the road ahead of them. Jaehyun swallows down something, frustration or upset or anger, and he looks out the window again.

'You need to stop acting like this when you don't get your way. I'm your bodyguard,' Doyoung says, 'not your babysitter.'

 

 

Doyoung has worked for the palace for fifteen years.

He didn’t ever think he’d work for the royal family when he got the job at twenty-two, content with the idea of protecting the ministers and advisors that worked with the Queen on a daily basis. But after three weeks of following the Minister of Foreign Affairs from strip club to strip club, Doyoung was pulled from that detail and put in front of Lee Hyukjae and told that he was going to university.

He knows that he wasn't chosen for his skill or his brains, but because of his age. Doyoung knows that initially he was chosen to protect Jaehyun because he was one of the only bodyguards who could slip by unnoticed in a class full of teenagers and young adults.

Jaehyun was just starting out university, exploring life beyond the stone walls of his very isolated private school. He was bright-eyed, sweet and the nation's dream, and Doyoung had to sit through lecture after lecture as an undercover backup for Hyukjae and his team of guards watching the prince.

For months, Doyoung worked under Hyukjae and waited for the day he was demoted back down away from the prince. But instead, Doyoung stood by Jaehyun's side as he went from a shy freshman and grew into the confident senior that eventually graduated with honours. And Jaehyun watched, proud, as Doyoung went from an asset picked for his age to one of the best bodyguards the palace had.

It made sense, when Hyukjae and Donghae retired, that Doyoung would take over and become head of Jaehyun’s security detail.

Doyoung has worked for the palace for fifteen years and protected Jaehyun for every single one of them.

He knows that he won't get fired, not for snapping at Jaehyun in the car. He may get disciplined for his outburst, but there's no way the palace is going to let him go after all the years of service he's put in. But he's still surprised, when he sits down for the morning briefing and Taeyong only gives him a tight smile and not a single reprimand.

Taeyong looks out across the room of bodyguards, all dressed in the same suit with the same headset in their ears, and rolls his shoulders back. Doyoung knows with absolute certainty that no matter how long he works for the palace he's never going to want to be Chief of Security.

'So, as we all know,' Taeyong says, not needing to raise his voice against the crowd of men and women in front of him, 'we only have a few days left until the Charity Gala. I've spoken with Mr Moon, and he's given me the final list of approved journalists who are going to be in attendance. Jisung, you're going to be running background checks on the guest list.' Jisung nods from his corner of the room, and Doyoung can see the flash of pride in Taeyong's eyes. 'For the most part, it's business as normal until then. The Queen is mainly dealing with state affairs, so we will be keeping a slightly heavier presence on the grounds. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince does have a hospital visit today.'

He looks at Doyoung, who sits up a little bit.

'Doyoung will be accompanying Prince Jaehyun at all times, but Jeno and Donghyuck will also be staying with the Prince, while Johnny will be in charge of transportation. His assistant, Mr Nakamoto, has already been briefed on the detail who will be accompanying him today. Anything to add, Doyoung?'

Doyoung stands up, looking at not only Jeno and Donghyuck but the handful of guards that will remain outside the hospital. 'There shouldn't be any deviation from our standard procedures today, but with the increased media attention thanks to the Charity Gala, we have to be vigilant. Also, we all know that the Crown Prince and Yuta are easily distracted by children, so we need to make sure that we're moving as scheduled.'

A ripple of laughter echoes throughout the room, and Doyoung allows him to smile for a moment. He surveys the guards in front of him, all people he trusts deeply and all brothers and sisters in the tactical space that has become his life.

His eyes drift from person to person, making sure that his team is present, before he settles back down at the front of the room.

‘As we all know the gala is Doyoung’s final event in the Crown Prince’s security detail, Johnny will be taking the lead on it as he transitions into his new role, and we need everything to go as smoothly as we can make it.’

There’s a low murmuring through the room, and Doyoung only lifts his chin against the eyes that settle on him. He looks instead at Taeyong, who smiles back at him, tight and tired, before dismissing the room.

 

 

The difference between driving to and from an event is that Yuta can't shotgun the front seat on the way to an event. Doyoung doesn't slip into the car until he's sure that Jaehyun is secure and safe and Johnny is ready to make their way over to the hospital.

Doyoung doesn't usually pay attention to the details of events, who they might be raising money for or how they intend to do it. His job is to make sure that Jaehyun is safe, and that is his highest priority above everything. So once Yuta pulls out his phone and starts running through the events of the day with Jaehyun, he tunes out in favour of looking out across the roads.

'You okay?' Johnny asks, voice low enough that Jaehyun and Yuta probably don't notice what he's saying.

'I will be.' Doyoung combs his fingers through his hair, more of a distraction than to try and settle it into place. He's always been one for going above and beyond the standards set by the palace, but when he looks in the rear-view mirror he can see Jaehyun staring at him. He clears his throat, looking to the side. 'Jeno and Donghyuck have already arrived at the hospital?'

'An hour ago,' Johnny confirms. 'They've already made contact with the security team, as well as Prince Sicheng's team, at the hospital, and have done a walk of wards that we're going through.'

Doyoung just nods, checking his phone to see if there are any messages from the two younger guards. When he looks up again, Jaehyun glances back at Yuta. Even Doyoung can see that Yuta is trying to suppress the irritation that's coming from Jaehyun's distractedness.

Yuta is Jaehyun's longest assistant yet, the one that Doyoung has liked the most over the years, but he still holds back from speaking to Jaehyun when he needs to. If not for the strained silence, the memory of Doyoung snapping the night before, he might have joked about Yuta being too lenient with Jaehyun. But the words stick in his throat, and Doyoung is just stubborn enough to ignore the prince.

'ETA five minutes,' Johnny says, raising his voice as if they aren't in a small, bulletproof sedan.

'Wait until I get out of the car,' Doyoung says to Yuta, more than Jaehyun, 'I'll open the door, and Jeno and Donghyuck will escort you into the building. Johnny will meet us in the lobby once he has parked the car.'

Yuta nods, slipping his phone back into his pocket. He switches into preparing Jaehyun for his appearance, smoothing down his collar and making sure that his hair settles nicely. Doyoung gives a cursory look at the prince, just to make sure he can spot him in a crowd, and nods. He can't deny that Jaehyun looks the part, even if he sometimes doesn't act it behind the scenes, with his shirt and sweater and perfectly parted hair to make him every bit the golden boy the country saw him as.

Doyoung clears his throat, turning back to the road in front of him and tries to ignore the fact that Johnny is watching him out of the corner of his eyes as they round the final corner and pull up in front of the hospital entrance.

Jeno and Donghyuck are already there, standing to attention next to Sicheng's guards, YangYang and Hendery. Jeno offers Doyoung the slightest smile, as he steps out of the car and adjusts his jacket so it's sitting perfectly on his shoulders. He leans over to open the back door, and when he looks down Jaehyun is staring up at him with his large, sweet eyes and Doyoung hates how he needs to bite back a curse at the sight of it. Jaehyun only gives a half-smile, that's sadder than anything Doyoung has seen before, before looking ahead at the cameras and pasting on his bright, fake smile.

Yuta follows Jaehyun into the building, squeezing Doyoung's shoulder once in commiseration.

'I know that this isn't the right time or place,' Johnny calls through the car. 'But you need to apologise. Doesn't matter that you were right, but you need to apologise.'

'I know,' Doyoung mutters, slamming the door shut and following Jaehyun into the hospital foyer.

 

 

Doyoung doesn't think that Jaehyun is a bad person by any means.

In public, he is sweet and polite and liberal enough that people love him. He's the sweetheart of the nation, having grown from a soft-spoken boy to a proud, charismatic adult. The fact that he's won most handsome bachelor of the year since he was twenty also adds to his appeal. In private, he's friendly and funny and a good friend and Doyoung has had years to realise that, at heart, Jaehyun is a good person.

He can see it in the way Jaehyun crouches down and meets people's eyes when he's talking to them. He can see in the sincerity of Jaehyun's kindness, when he listens and pays attention to them. He can see it Jaehyun's stubbornness, when he stands his ground when he knows that he is right.

Doyoung stands a few steps the crowd, hands linked in front of him as he watches Jaehyun talk to one of the patients in the palliative care unit. The one thing he's always been amazed by is the size of Jaehyun's heart, the way he cares so deeply about everything. He's the Crown Prince but he never uses his title as a way to distance himself from his people, always cares from the bottom of his heart.

But despite the fact that Jaehyun is trying to give it his all, is putting on his best face for the press that surrounds him, Doyoung can see the shadows of something his eyes. He can see the way Jaehyun has pulled into himself. His shoulders aren’t pushed back as much as they usually are, his chin not tipped up with the same amount of pride that Doyoung is so used to.

He looks tired, Doyoung realises, underneath the layers of concealer and makeup that is as artfully crafted as his outfits and hair.

No-one else seems to pick up on it, but no-one else knows Jaehyun as well as Doyoung does. He wants to walk over to Jaehyun, take his hands and apologise but they're surrounded by reporters and nurses, and an envoy from their closest ally. Doyoung can't, isn't allowed to because Jaehyun is a prince and he's a bodyguard and there are rules.

So, instead Doyoung waits until they decide to take a small break. Sicheng is shepherded away by his own assistant to touch up on his makeup, and the hospital administrators are conducting their own interviews about why this visit is so important to the hospital. Yuta is flicking through his phone, talking to Jaehyun in a low voice as he explains the rest of the day.

‘I need to borrow him for a moment,’ Doyoung says, grabbing Jaehyun by the elbow. Yuta doesn't even bother complaining as Doyoung drags Jaehyun away, although there are daggers in his eyes when Doyoung looks over his shoulder to make sure no-one's looking too closely.

‘Doyoung, I--’ Jaehyun starts.

‘Wait,’ Doyoung says, checking each door for an empty room before slipping in and closing the blinds so no-one can look in. ‘Not yet.’

‘Is something wrong? Are we in danger?’ Jaehyun asks as Doyoung strides over to the window and closes the blinds as well. It plunges them into a struggling half-light, peeking through the cheap material.

‘No, no nothing like that,’ Doyoung turns around to look at Jaehyun again. The prince exhales, and Doyoung can see some of the tension leak out of his shoulders. Some, but not all. ‘I wanted to apologise, for what I said in the car last night.’

Jaehyun's eyes widen ever so slightly. Doyoung wonders what he might have been like, if he wasn't trained to contain every emotion. Only for a moment, before dispelling the thought because he knows that Jaehyun is fine the way he is.

'I'm not sorry for what I said,' Doyoung says, because he is nothing if not resolute. 'But I'm sorry about the way I said it, I shouldn't have spoken to you like that.'

'Thank you,' Jaehyun says as he lets a small smile grow on his face, 'for your apology.'

Doyoung knows that he isn't forgiven, but he doesn't have time to ask for forgiveness.

Perhaps if they weren't Prince and Bodyguard, Doyoung could apologise properly, could guide Jaehyun to understand and Jaehyun could guide him. But that isn't his life right now, and instead Doyoung just has to press his lips together in a thin line as he looks at the man in front of him.

Jaehyun doesn't move where he stands, looking at Doyoung with a shadow of a smile pressing in the corners of his mouth. It's not deep enough for his dimple to show, and it feels like a lie. Doyoung can't resist reaching out, smoothing his hand over the space where the dimple sits when Jaehyun is truly, truly happy, and there's a moment when Jaehyun exhales.

He reaches up, holding Doyoung's hand for a short moment before he walks out of the room and back into the main wards.

At least, Doyoung thinks much later, Jaehyun seems happier as he listens to the patients and their stories.

 

 

Doyoung spends his entire day surrounded by people, surrounded by important people, and it’s always nice to return to the apartment. It’s not a home, not really, but it is the closest that Doyoung has at the moment. He slips off his shoes and socks, letting his toes curl into the carpet before stripping out of his suit jacket and loosening his tie. Every step through the apartment feels lighter than the last, pulling away the remnants of bodyguard and leaving Just Doyoung behind.

It's silent, and empty. Too empty, if Doyoung is being honest, as he looks around at the scattered books that he hasn't gotten around to cleaning up. Like the space is stretching out in front of him, and when Doyoung makes his way into the kitchen he wishes there was just that little bit of sound, cutlery clinking or a low muttering, to make this feel like a home.

But still, he loves it in his own way.

He could make this a home, he thinks, if he had the opportunity. He could put photos on the walls, change the colour scheme from the greys and blues that it came with. It would be nice to make a home, to curl up on the couch and just rest as he watched movies that meant nothing and everything at the same time.

And maybe a pet, he thinks, as he links his phone up to the bluetooth speaker on the coffee table just so that he doesn't feel alone. Something to come home to at the end of the night. 

It wouldn't be hard to make it a home.

It's when he's sitting on the couch, microwaved fried rice in hand, when Doyoung realises that he's just finished his second last day at work.

He sits on the couch, takeout container steaming on the coffee table next to the slow, quiet jazz music that fills the apartment, and lets himself think about it for the first time since he handed in his resignation. He lets himself think about the fact that the apartment is no longer just going to be a place where he sleeps at night, lets himself think about the time he can spend on himself, cooking and cleaning, lets himself think about the endless hobbies that he can finally indulge in.

He can't remember the last time he played the piano.

But most of all, Doyoung can't help but let his mind wander back to Jaehyun.

He blows on the fried rice, chewing it slowly as he stares at the dark tv screen. He's protected Jaehyun since Jaehyun was eighteen years old, he's been living on the edge of royalty since he was barely into his twenties. He's protected Jaehyun for almost half of the prince's life, and it's just as much a large chunk of his own. And as soon as he finishes work the next day, as soon as the next day _ends_ , that chapter of his life will close. He can't help but wonder what life will be like, to not need to watch his back the whole time and to live life as much of an ordinary citizen as he can.

Doyoung eats his rice in the silence of the room as he rolls the thoughts in his head. He didn't quit lightly, knows that he has his reasons to walk away from his job. But through it all, he can't help but wonder if Jaehyun would understand those reasons, accept the fact that Doyoung has decided to step back from the role that is as a part of him as his hair, his nose, his soul.

Would Jaehyun be mad? Or would he be happy, relieved to see Doyoung finally move onto a new chapter of his life?

The questions roll around in his head and Doyoung wishes for a moment that they would just stop, that he could go back to the simplicity of his life as it is, or rather as it was. But then he thinks of the years behind him, and the years ahead of him and he knows that he has to steel himself, prepare himself and that his life is really only just beginning.

 

 

When Doyoung was a child, and royalty were people in stories and fairytales, his brother used to read him a story before bed. _At the stroke of midnight_ , he'd say in a solemn tone and Doyoung would cling to his words as he pictured the magic that would sweep the princess.

Doyoung has long since learned that magic is not real, and Cinderella is a story he only briefly pays attention to when his nieces insist he sit with them while it's on TV.

But tonight the words run through his mind, at the stroke of midnight, as he watches the hours tick by. His last day as Jaehyun's bodyguard. His last hour as Jaehyun's bodyguard. His last ten minutes as Jaehyun's bodyguard.

At the stroke of midnight, Doyoung will no longer be Jaehyun's bodyguard and he's not sure what he's supposed to think about that.

Doyoung can't help the way he clears his throat, drawing attention from the few people around him. He ignores the attention, as best he can, and begins to weave his way through the crowd to where Jaehyun and Johnny are talking to a couple of ambassadors from a nearby republic.

Johnny is much better at blending in with the upper class, Doyoung notices, doesn't look as much like a bodyguard looming behind the prince. He laughs and steers the conversation, and when he spots Doyoung heading over excuses himself and Jaehyun with a small smile pulling at his lips.

'Can I talk to you, outside?' Doyoung asks Jaehyun. 'On the balcony?'

Jaehyun nods, and follows Doyoung towards the edges of the crowd. People part, some trying to get Jaehyun's attention but he smiles, and nods and brushes them off and it's all for Doyoung. Doyoung tries not to feel proud, tries not to feel special as he leads Jaehyun around a corner and then down a small flight of stairs to a balcony so far away from the party that the lights and sound barely make it in.

It's one of the more secure areas of the palace, one of the spots that most people don't know about.

'What did you want to talk about?' Jaehyun asks, and his voice is so loud in the emptiness of the balcony. He rolls his shoulders back, tips his chin up to look at the moon in the distance. It is, Doyoung realises, the first time he's stripped off his prince persona since his outburst in the car. It is, Doyoung realises, the first time he's seen Jaehyun as himself, truly relaxed in even longer.

'Just wanted to get away from the crowds,' Doyoung responds.

He can't help but look, at Jaehyun in his suit and the way his hair has fallen into his eyes. He looks younger, when he's not hyperaware of the press and the people that surround him in his everyday life. Doyoung wonders if he's the same, just for a moment.

'I'm sorry,' he repeats, and this time he has the time and space to apologise properly. 'For what happened the other day.'

'It's okay,' Jaehyun says.

'It's not. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that, not in front of Johnny and Yuta, especially. And I shouldn't have phrased it like that.'

Jaehyun exhales, and runs his fingers through his hair, messing it up even more. Yuta is going to kill him, Doyoung realises, when they return to the gala and Jaehyun returns looking dishevelled. He finds he doesn't really care.

'It wasn't okay,' Jaehyun admits, 'I was really hurt by what you said.'

'I just don't understand why you have to act like that, all the time.' Doyoung walks over to the edge of the balcony, leaning against the cool stone so that he can look at Jaehyun. 'You're not just a prince, you're an adult but sometimes you just act like you're the same private school kid who gets everything exactly how he wants it.'

'I just,' Jaehyun sighs, 'I don't know why I acted like that.'

'It's because you're proud,' Doyoung exhales, 'you're proud and you can't let anyone be right if you're not.'

There's a huff of laughter, as Jaehyun turns to look up at him. 'You're the exact same as me, you do know that?'

'I do.'

Jaehyun turns, and he hesitates for a moment before he leans forward and he kisses Doyoung.

It's been three days since Doyoung last kissed Jaehyun. More. And he didn't realise how much he missed it, not until his hand is cupping Jaehyun's jaw, not until he pulls back and he can feel Jaehyun's unsteady exhale against his lips.

The space between them is silent, trembling and unsure, because it's been three days and they've barely spoken to each other for most of them. He can feel Jaehyun’s heartbeat beneath his fingers, rapidly rising and a contrast against the stillness of the rest of his body.

'I'm sorry,' Doyoung repeats, and he leans in again. He kisses Jaehyun again, a brush of lips at first, but Jaehyun steps closer, his hands settling on Doyoung’s waist to pull him in, and Doyoung can’t resist deepening it. It burns at him that only he gets this Jaehyun, sweet and pliant and eager to be touched.

Jaehyun pulls away and he presses his forehead against Doyoung’s, tightens his hold so that Doyoung can’t step back.

‘You weren’t mad at me?’ Jaehyun sounds so, so vulnerable, so hesitant and Doyoung wants to gather him in his arms and spirit him away from the palace. He wants to take Jaehyun to the quiet little apartment they wish they could call home, that they want to call home, and hold him there and block out the entire world.

‘No, no,’ Doyoung’s heart breaks as Jaehyun’s gaze lifts to meet his, ‘sweetheart. I promise I wasn’t mad at you. I wasn’t angry.’

‘It felt like it,’ Jaehyun says, and there’s that guilt that rips at Doyoung’s chest because Jaehyun looks so small in front of him. It’s worse than the smiles and the lies that Doyoung is so used to, because it’s Jaehyun looks so genuinely hurt and Doyoung can only scramble to fix it. ‘You weren’t _talking_ to me.’

‘I was stressed,’ Doyoung says, ‘and that’s not an excuse. But there was a lot on my mind and none of it was me being mad at you.'

Jaehyun pulls back, and he reaches up to comb his fingers through Doyoung's hair. His eyes are still hesitant, still hurt, and Doyoung knows that he has a lot that he needs to do to make it up to him. 'I thought I told you to talk to me when you get stressed. I don't like it when you hide things from me.'

His voice is sweet, and soft, and Doyoung loves this Jaehyun most of all. There's no façade, no distance in the shadows of his eyes, just a quiet understanding and connection from the years of them being side by side. He looks at Jaehyun, illuminated by the soft glow of the lamps, and lets himself just have a moment to feel like

'I wasn't trying to hide anything from you,' Doyoung lies. 'I just had a lot on my mind, and you had a lot going on with Sicheng's visit. It seemed unnecessary for me to add more stuff for you to think about.'

'You need to stop putting everything on yourself,' Jaehyun says, as he presses his lips together. 'I know that it's your job to protect me, but this isn't Doyoung-the-Bodyguard that's working hard to look after me. This is Doyoung-the-Boyfriend, and I need you to talk to me.'

Doyoung smiles, sharp at the edges because Jaehyun is right. He does need to talk to Jaehyun, but first he has to do one more thing.

He turns Jaehyun, just ever so slightly so that he can cage him against the stone wall of the balcony. Jaehyun lets out the smallest sound, curious before Doyoung leans in one last time to capture Doyoung's lips. He presses into the prince, kisses him deep and long. Jaehyun lets out a surprised moan, melting into this kiss in a way that makes Doyoung's stomach clench.

He loves Jaehyun like this, and makes sure to whisper it against his lips as he pulls back.

'I thought you didn't like kissing at your place of work,' Jaehyun whispers with a grin.

'Good thing I don't work for the palace anymore,' Doyoung says back, and Jaehyun's smile freezes on his face. 'I've been reassigned to work for the Prime Minister, no more conflict of interest, no more chaperones, no more Doyoung-the-Bodyguard. Just Doyoung-the-Boyfriend.'

Doyoung thought that he had seen Jaehyun at his most beautiful, at Taeyong and Johnny's wedding two years ago when he cried from happiness. But he realises that it pales in comparison to the way his eyes light up, the way his smile grows, the way he looks at Doyoung like he has the entire world.

 

 

The apartment feels empty when it's just Doyoung wandering through at the end of a long day.

But stumbling through the apartment with Jaehyun, stripping his suit from his shoulders and pressing him against the wall to kiss him until he gasps, is what makes it feel closer to home. A trail of Jaehyun's clothes, thousands of dollars’ worth, lay abandoned on the floor as Doyoung grabs his wrist and holds it above his head.

'Don't think I've noticed you behaving these past few days,' he mutters against Jaehyun's lips, swallowing the man's laugh as he pulls back. 'Trying to make it up to me?'

'I thought I better be on my best behaviour, just in case,' Jaehyun says. He looks so dishevelled, so beautiful in the light of the apartment. He looks at home and Doyoung wants to close the door and keep the two of them in there forever, for as long as they can.

'Hoping that you'd get something good out of the end of it?' Doyoung asks as he tugs at Jaehyun's shirt. 'That's rather forward thinking of you. Normally you're so very impatient, aren't you sweetheart? Normally you're such a brat.'

He worries, as he says it, that it will remind Jaehyun of their fight, but instead Jaehyun just lets out something that sounds like a choked giggle. Though Doyoung thinks that also might be from the way he traces his fingers along his abs, dipping closer to Jaehyun's belt.

' _Please_ '

'Being very good for me,' Doyoung mutters. 'I think I like this change.' He doesn't miss the way Jaehyun shivers at the words, doesn't miss the way his muscles tense slightly under his hand. Jaehyun is already breaking apart, already shaking from anticipation and they haven't even really started.  'I don't touch you for three days, and you're behaving so well for me.'

'Doyoung,' Jaehyun says, his words edging into a whine.

'Soon, sweetheart,' Doyoung whispers. He kisses Jaehyun, keeping it soft and sweet because it makes Jaehyun's breath catch. 'Into the bedroom first, we're not fucking in the hallway like heathens.'

'I _like_ fucking in the hallway though,' Jaehyun says, and the pout is so deliberate that it's almost comical.

'Stop it,' Doyoung says, voice firm. 'On the bed, now.'

He steps back, allowing Jaehyun to make his own way down the corridor, and can't help admiring the flex of Jaehyun's shoulder muscles as he pulls off his shirt and drops it to the floor. Jaehyun sends a smirk over his shoulder, and when he rounds the corner that leads to their bedroom, Doyoung can hear the clatter of his belt hitting the floor.

Still, Doyoung doesn't follow straight away.

He shrugs off his own suit jacket, undoes his tie, and realises that this is the last time he will take off the suit that makes him Jaehyun's bodyguard. It should feel monumental, after so many years of the job, but instead all he can think of the man waiting for him in his bedroom, the man that his entire world orbits around.

Doyoung is undoing the top few buttons of his shirt when he walks into the bedroom.

Jaehyun lies on the bed, naked and spread out against the pillows, staring up at Doyoung with the laziest, sexiest look and it takes all of Doyoung's willpower to just walk over and press him down into the bed, kiss him and then break him until he's sobbing.

This is when the apartment feels like home, when it's them and their truest selves and Doyoung knows that now they have a future where they can build a home in the small space.

'I was thinking that we could get a dog,' Doyoung says, walking over to the dresser and taking off his watch. He places it down on the top of the dresser, and tries not to pay attention to the way Jaehyun squirms. 'Now that we can actually live together.'

'I can move in?'

Despite the eager tone, the excitement in his voice, he's still only half-paying attention to Doyoung's words. Jaehyun is entirely focused on his hands, watching as Doyoung removes his cufflinks and places them next to the watch in a neat line.

'Taeyong approved it last week,' Doyoung says, watching Jaehyun through the mirror with a smile lifting at the corner of his lips. Jaehyun hasn't even noticed that Doyoung is watching, his attention entirely off Doyoung's face. 'You can move in next Thursday, it'll be _our_ home. Hand away from your cock. I didn’t say you could touch yourself.'

Jaehyun snatches his hand away, placing it on the bedsheets. He doesn't even have the audacity to act apologetic, to act embarrassed, despite not realising that Doyoung had been watching him the whole time. Instead, his gaze moves up to meet Doyoung's in the mirror and he gives the most beautiful smirk.

'I can't wait. You can just fuck me whenever, wherever,' he leans back more, because he's lazy and beautiful and so very spoilt.

'Provided we're not at work,' Doyoung says.

He finally removes his shirt, and his pants. He finally removes the last of what prevented them from being _them_ and it's just Jaehyun and Doyoung, alone in their bedroom as two boyfriends should be. Doyoung isn't sure if Jaehyun has noticed the significance of it, but he certainly doesn't want to bring it up.

'I'm the Crown Prince, if I say it's a public holiday so that we can stay at home then it'll be a public holiday,' Jaehyun says, and Doyoung isn't even sure if he's joking as he says it.

'You are,' he murmurs, leaning over Jaehyun and brushing their lips together lightly, 'so annoying.'

'But you love me,' Jaehyun says, so cocky and full of himself.

'I do,' Doyoung agrees. 'Despite the fact you’re a brat.’

He doesn't give Jaehyun any warning, distracting him with his smile before he reaches down and runs a knuckle, featherlight, along Jaehyun's cock.

He loves the way Jaehyun shivers, the way he lets out the breathiest of sighs that melts into the most beautiful of smiles. Doyoung wants to press his lips to Jaehyun's dimples, wants to keep this moment imprinted in his memory forever because these moments are his favourite.

'Have you touched yourself?' he asks, more for curiosity than anything, and Jaehyun shakes his head. Doyoung is sure it's a lie, because he can see the shadow of a smirk in it all and he lets out a soft laugh. 'I should punish you for not telling the truth, but I don't think I can be that patient today.'

'I don't mind.'

'Why am I not surprised by that?' Doyoung laughs, before reaching for the bottle of lube that they keep next to the bed.

He knows that he should take his time, that this day is monumental, but all he wants is to be close to Jaehyun. He wants to have Jaehyun in his hand and in his arms, and wants to feel him shaking around him, want to feel him breaking apart.

So he does.

One of the things that Doyoung loves the most is the moment Jaehyun lets go. The moment his head tips back and he lets out the smallest gasp when he's being filled because he takes Doyoung so well. He looks at Doyoung through half-lidded eyes, and murmurs for Doyoung to keep going.

Doyoung lets Jaehyun consume his world, as he has and always will, and presses a slow, deep kiss as he rocks into Jaehyun. And when he comes, it's with the overwhelming feeling that he knows there is no-one better for him in the world but the man in his bed.

'I love you,' he says, when Jaehyun is coming down for his own orgasm. 'And I'm sorry I didn't say that enough over the past few days.'

'I know you do,' Jaehyun says, tired smile on his face as Doyoung wipes away the come and the lube that sticks to their skin with a damp cloth. 'I love you a lot. I knew something was stressing you out, but either you didn't want to talk about it or we didn't have time.'

'I just wanted to surprise you, wanted to give you something nice,' Doyoung says, throwing the cloth in the general direction of the bathroom. 'I just didn't realise that it would make me as touchy as I was. I shouldn't have taken it out on you.'

'To be fair,' Jaehyun tugs Doyoung down onto the bed, curling up into his side, 'I was being insufferable.'

'You were,' Doyoung says, smile on his face. 'But it's one of the things I  like about you.'

**Author's Note:**

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